Blackmoon Citadel
'''Blackmoon Citadel '''is located on an island off the western coast of Silverpine Forest, lorded over by Salazar Demes, the current head of the House of Demes. The island is named for the citadel that dominates the area, which is noted for its Gothic inspirations. The weather around the isle is perpetually manipulated by magic, producing only clouds, fog, or storms. History Background Centuries ago, Blackmoon Isle, then known as Highworth Isle, on which the Citadel makes its home, was once the site of a bustling town at the coast known for its fishing and export enterprise which brought the island a fair amount of wealth after its settlement years before. However, as with the natural pursuit of wealth, the people of Blackmoon needed to expand their enterprise, but felt constrained by the limits of the fact that they were on an island. One individual, Morganus Blackmoon, a wealthy merchant and mage by profession, decided to expand the island’s enterprises by engaging in the acquisition and bartering of illegal goods. Utilizing the island’s location as being not too far from Tirisfal, Lordaeron, Kul Tiras, and Gilneas, Morganus devised a mercantile system that turned the island into a bastion of the black market. After many years, the wealth of Blackmoon Isle grew considerably, mostly into the pockets of Morganus, who had become fascinated with collecting antique relics and other items not normally available on the legal market. And so with his considerable wealth, Morganus financed the construction of an island fortress, naming it Blackmoon Citadel. Due to this wealth and antique collection, the Citadel was designed with security in mind, namely to withstand a siege, should others grow jealous of his collection. However, Morganus was also a trained mage, and thus included many of the necessities a magi would desire within the Citadel, including a large library, numerous laboratories and studies, an astronomy tower, and a vault. In addition, as a nod to his stature on the island, he built a great hall that extended out of the back of the Citadel, which would serve as a place where he would meet dignitaries and host various functions. So long as the people prospered, and Morganus brought them wealth, they accepted him as the island’s new Lord, despite the fact that they had not been ruled under one before. Unfortunately, the prosperity of the island was not its fate, as Morganus made an acquisition that would doom the island through to the present day. A black market merchant by the name of Eliezer Demes arrived at Blackmoon Isle one day with an artifact in tow he had wanted to sell to Morganus, one that promised Morganus considerable power for a few thousand gold. Meeting him in the Citadel’s Great Hall, the merchant showed Morganus an item he called the “Willbender,” which promised Morganus the ability to enthrall anyone he wished, thus being able to get the victim to agree to any price Morganus wanted, even if it was absurdly low. It was also to allow him to maintain control over the island’s populace, by ensuring that they would love him for as long as he desired. Alas, it was all a ruse, and as soon as the merchant gave Morganus the item, it activated, causing a temporal implosion that whisked away Morganus to an unknown place and time, only known by the merchant. The merchant, however, was a Warlock, and used Morganus’ greed against him to remove him from power, and claim the island for himself. It is on the very same day that he proclaimed the start of the House of Demes, which the island’s populace accepted, so long as they did not see a drop in their profits. Unfortunately, Eliezer had a different plan in mind for the island, using it as his personal fortress in order to conduct all sorts of experiments that he would not be able to anywhere else. The twisted magic that Eliezer used had caused the island to fall into decay, causing its rich vegetation to be replaced by weeds and occasional patches of grass. As a result, the people of Blackmoon grew tired of the island’s state, and scattered their operation across the globe, ending in modern day places like Everlook, Booty Bay, and Ratchet. The isle itself became a shadow of its former bustling glory, with the Citadel being the only notable structure left on the island. With Eliezer’s magic, the isle also fell into a perpetual state of fog, rain or clouds, with the sun having not been seen in centuries. Current Years In the time before the Second War, Blackmoon Isle and the House of Demes were pledged to the Kingdom of Gilneas, with the head of the House of Demes holding the title of Lord of Blackmoon, below that of Duke. While the Isle was formally pledged to the Kingdom of Gilneas, it nevertheless maintained an autonomous administrative quality dating back to its time as a mercantile center between several Kingdoms. Furthermore, with the Isle falling into disarray due to Eliezer's magic, no one from Gilneas cared enough to change that administrative arrangement. After the Second War, when Gilneas began to erect the Greymane Wall, the House of Demes struck a deal with the Kingdom to formally secede from Gilneas, which at the time was fine with the Kingdom as it prepared for total isolation from the Alliance. Ever since, the Isle has been ruled by the House of Demes without swearing fealty to any crown, though it continues to maintain the traditions of Gilnean culture. Lately, Salazar's magic has begun to rejuvenate the isle, with two small towns making their home on the coast once again, Moonhaven and Silverbrook. Though while the magic on the rest of the isle has been more or less cleared, the area surrounding the Citadel has remained in its bleak state. Category:Places